Bangarang!

I never thought I'd be happy to be back in a big city, but Bangalore is treating us very well.  Upon arrival I was really excited to see lots of people exercising and a lot of trees.  At 8 million people it's quite busy, but something about this place makes me happy.  Perhaps it's because I've been able to go running and climbing.

It's very modern so I'm not experiencing the same feeling of environment shock, but culturally it still seems quite diverse.  Our hotel managers share lots of stories with us, both about the travelers they meet as well as the social climate of India.  It strikes me that the next best thing to traveling is simply running a hotel or hostel.  Meeting new people is one of the best parts of traveling, after all, but a problem with this model is that you only meet the people who can afford to leave their countries.  I may represent the US when I travel abroad, but even I signify such a narrow part of American culture.

Our hotel is more like an apartment complex with both short term guests such as ourselves and long term guests like students who are here for the term.  The brothers Syed and Shakir take us under their wings and not only help us with our daily logistical needs, but they are keen on sharing stories and viewpoints and getting to know their guests.

I spend a lot of my time in the common room playing my newly acquired mandolin (which Shakir practically hunted down for me when I couldn't find a single shop carrying any).  It's a somewhat cheap build but it doesn't sound too shabby even if it's difficult to play.  My fat hands seem to wrap around the neck in a clumsy, less compact fashion.  It makes me miss my guitar a bit, but after I while I've started to get more comfortable with getting around its itty bitty fretboard.  It's hard to say if it'll be worth carrying the bulk as I travel, but I couldn't stop thinking about playing for the last month.

We parted ways with Varun on Sunday evening which felt incredibly strange, and his absence still hangs over us.  We were essentially roommates for one month, but we shared so much in a short amount of time.  Wandering the streets of Mumbai during Holi I got to see his adventurous side come out.  His wit was always sharp and we were often laughing at some ludicrous private joke, and now we've had our own adventures to solidify what I think is a pretty special friendship.  I may not see Varun for some time, but I imagine it won't take long to pick up again when we're all state-side in a few years.

This compression of feelings and memories really caught me off guard, and as we were making goodbyes I didn't really have the words to say "Holy shit man, we went to India and kicked so much ass together."  I extended my hand to shake his and he moved in for the hug.  Nicole and I carressed our brown stallion and extended our arms longingly as we walked towards the metro.  We were quiet for a long time.  We walked home from the city center and indulged in reminiscence of our month here with Varun.

The next few days are low key.  Nicole and I agree that we're ready for a new city, so until then we're committing time to reading, writing, and chilling (and shoveling more mangoes into our mouth-holes).  I made some nice friends while climbing at the indoor gym here, and Janet was kind enough to let me invite myself along for some early morning slacklining with her friend Thimayya.  I haven't necessarily been as into slacking as I once was (since the golden days of Santa Barbara when I had dropped out of college), but social incentives reign supreme.  I spend more time asking questions than moving, but I enjoy our witty banter and watching the sunlight permeate the treeline at Cubbon park (after finding its way through the smog layer, of course).

Given my pretty limited scope of meeting people here, it appears that women in Bangalore have more autonomy and social freedom.  I imagine there is familial pressure behind the scenes and expectations I'm unaware of, but it seems much more liberal here.  I see more women out and about, exercising or driving, which didn't seem as prevalent in Delhi or Mumbai.  Janet came across as very assertive and driven.  She was even pretty nonchalant about going to work in shorts (something I couldn't even do at my old office).  Maybe she's just fearless of judgment, but I hope this is representative of more youths here.  Another young girl we met, Sonali, quickly expressed her views on marriage and other expectations she disagreed with.  I imagine it's a bit easier to open up to foreign strangers, but nonetheless I sensed a conviction in her to break rules as needed.  It's possible these are just generational differences, but I take it as a good sign.  I suppose it's not only a matter of expressing those freedoms, but making sure everyone supports that equality.